Copper has a lot of bad taste it can add to food. Note how copper pots are only copper on the OUTSIDE where the food doesn't contact it. It's also toxic - that's why they put so much of it in bottom paint.

Copper bowls are routinely used by cooks and bakers for whipping eggs and egg whites. Copper kettles are also used in candy making, among other things. And I do believe that these bad boys have just a tiny bit of copper in them:

Copper is toxic, to marine invertebrates. That's why it's used in bottom paint. However, unless one inhales copper dust, it's pretty safe for humans to touch, handle, hold, and even fondle metallic copper. Just ask anyone who has ever handled a penny.